However, the Guardian quotes Khalil al-Anani, an expert on Egypt’s political Islamists at Durham University in the U.K.: “There is widespread exaggeration about the role of the Brotherhood in Egyptian society, and I think these demonstrations have exposed that,” he tells the newspaper. “At first the movement showed little interest in the protests and announced they weren’t going to participate; later they were overtaken by events and forced to get involved or risk losing all credibility.”